Ricardo Vaz Tê has submitted an official transfer request at West Ham United, after growing frustrated at his slip down the pecking order under the manager Sam Allardyce.

The forward, who scored the club's play-off final winner against Blackpool in 2012 to secure promotion to the Premier League, believes that his statistics prove that he deserves greater playing opportunities.

He has had talks with Allardyce and he was told that he needed to get more crosses into the penalty area. But Vaz Tê was bemused, as he pointed out that his assist record last season was excellent, despite missing three months because of a shoulder injury.

It has become clear to Vaz Tê that Allardyce no longer has faith in him. He has played only as an injury-time substitute against Cardiff City in the Premier League so far this season, although he did start in the Capital One Cup against Cheltenham on Tuesday night, when he scored in the 2-1 win.

Vaz Tê has attracted the interest of Cardiff and Crystal Palace, together with a host of clubs from the Championship, including Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United and he is now resolved to push for a move. Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim have also expressed an interest in him.

"In my 10 years as a professional, I have never submitted a transfer request nor issued a statement," Vaz Tê said. "However, I am sad at West Ham. Last season, I was asked to change position [to the wing] for the benefit of the team, even though I had just scored 24 goals [in 2011-12]. The main objective was to finish top ten in the Premier League and I followed instructions to the best of my ability, as the club always comes first.

"As a result, even though I was injured for three months, no other player made more assists than me and no other winger scored more goals than me. Since I joined the club on 31 January 2012, no other player has scored more goals than me in all official competitions.

"The statistics are evident to all but, despite this, it has been made obvious to myself and my representatives that I am not in the manager's plans. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I submit a transfer request and look to join a club where my approach to the game will be appreciated."